Snowfall
by AWriter93
Summary: Regina runs off into the woods in search of Robin, but instead finds herself and something far more important than that smelly, woodland guy. (This is a SWANQUEEN story, with just a few mentions of Robin. I didn't tag him in the characters because he's not important. I guess there's *kind of* a major character "death," but it's got a happy ending, trust me! :) )


**A/N: So, I had this crazy vivid and amazing Swan Queen dream the other night, and when I woke up I knew I had to write it all down. That's how this baby came to be! It was done hurriedly and I don't have a beta, so any and all mistakes are mine. Please read and review, I hope you like it! None of the characters or that stuff belong to me, I just like to put these ladies into situations that suit my fancy!  
>(Also, to those whom it may concern, I'm back working on my Rizzles fic (In and Out of Time), I'm so sorry I let it get away from me. I love you all.)<strong>

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><p>Regina ran clumsily through the forest, at times sliding on the fresh snow that continued to fall silently around her. She was glad she had worn boots that day, instead of her usual heels. The moon was bright, but the thick trees in the forest blocked out a good portion of the light, despite the trees being void of their leaves. She was dressed in black from head to toe and her lips bore their usual blood red lipstick. Regina's skin was paler than normal because of what moon light that did manage to cut through the trees, but her face was flushed from running. She had to find him, they needed to talk. Regina knew she could convince Robin Hood to stay in Storybrooke with her. A few tears slid down her cheek, and Regina brushed them away angrily. Yes, she was upset, but she wouldn't cry over this man. Maybe he was her True Love, but she still had Henry, and that mattered most.<p>

Regina finally made it to a cabin that was in the center of a small clearing. She didn't remember it being there before, but she assumed it was a product of the second dark curse that Snow had cast. It seemed like something she would have created. It was simple looking from the outside, save for the entire wall of windows on one side of the two-story cabin. There was also a stairway on the outside of the house, leading up to the second floor. Regina slowed to a walk as she approached the cabin, searching for any signs that Robin had been here, but she didn't see any. There were no lights on inside and the snow was undisturbed. As she stood there staring at the cabin, Regina heard twigs crack from over her shoulder and could hear someone panting. _"They must be running,"_ Regina thought, "_Trying to catch up with me for some idiotic reason._" Not in the mood for a conversation partner, Regina let herself in to the cabin and cleared her tracks in the snow with her magic as she stood in the doorway. _"I should have been cleaning up my trail this whole time," _she mentally chided herself. It was too late for that now, of course.

She peered out one of the windows that gave her a clear view of where she had just been in the clearing. It wasn't much of a surprise when Regina saw a red leather jacket and a head of blond curls bound ungracefully into the clearing. She saw Emma look around, wide-eyed and very confused.

"Regina?" Emma called out tentatively. "Are you here? Your tracks stopped at this clearing. If you're in the cabin, will you please come out here so we can talk? I'll feel pretty dumb right now if this is a one-sided conversation and you're long gone from this spot." Regina watched Emma's shoulders slump when there was no response to her request. Although she would never admit it, Regina was touched that Emma cared enough to come after her. The two of them had grown closer lately, and Regina sometimes wondered if there was more between them than either of them realized. As far as she knew though, Emma was completely oblivious and Regina certainly wasn't going to be the first one to make a move and embarrass herself.

Even from inside the cabin, Regina could tell Emma was dejected. Maybe talking to the blond would make her feel better for once. Emma was sitting on a tree stump in the clearing as Regina opened the door.

"You look ridiculous when you're having a conversation with yourself, dear, might I add," Regina said. She had meant it to be harsher, but she couldn't bring herself to be so mean at the moment. Emma's face lit up as she saw Regina. Emma knew the other woman was hurting and she wanted to make things right between them. Seeing Regina here like this, in the snowy night, apart from the townspeople who still shot untrusting looks at her when they thought she wasn't looking, was special to Emma. She felt her stomach give a little flutter, and she tried to ignore it as best as she could. Emma had realized that that was happening to her more and more often when she ran into Regina lately. As much as it scared her, she thought she had seen Regina react similarly, too. Maybe Emma was imagining everything, but she knew she had to give it a shot, even if it backfired on her. And, given her luck, it probably would. She was worried that it would ruin the friendship she had managed to build up with Regina, but Emma was also worried what would happen if she never tried. "Can I come in?" Emma asked sheepishly, not daring to make eye contact with Regina at the moment.

"Well, seeing as you've managed to scoot yourself almost the entire length of this clearing in the short amount of time I've had this door open, I'd say you'll weasel your way into this cabin no matter what I say."  
>"Please, Regina? It's really cold out here," Emma pleaded with her. Normally Regina was immune to puppy-dog eyes, but it really did work when Emma did it.<p>

"Fine, get in here and start a fire while I make us some drinks," Regina replied. Emma eagerly ran the rest of the way into the cabin and Regina closed the door behind them. As Regina moved into the kitchen and began looking for some cups, Emma stared around confusedly.

"Something you don't understand, Swan?" Regina asked from the other side of the cabin.

"Um, yeah, actually," Emma stammered, "How am I supposed to make a fire without anything to, you know, make a fire?" Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's question.  
>"Do you not have magic, Swan?" Regina said with a scoff.<p>

"Oh, yeah," Emma said as she turned back to the fireplace and immediately conjured up flames. "Regina?" Emma started.

"Yes?"

"Do you think, maybe, you could just call me Emma from now on?" Emma asked. Regina fumbled for a minute, and began a snarky reply when she stopped. Logically, the two women had been through enough together that they would be on first name terms. Regina nodded at Emma.

"Yes, I think I could manage that," she paused before finishing, "Emma." Emma beamed at Regina from the couch she had made herself comfortable on in front of the fire. Regina took the two mugs that were now full over to the couch and sat down next to the blond. "Hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon for you and apple cider for me," Regina said with a smile. Emma to the mug gratefully and took several gulps of her drink.

"Wow, this is delicious! You need to teach me how to make this stuff out of thin air like you did," Emma said. Regina was distracted by a little spot of whipped cream that had made itself at home on the tip of Emma's nose.

"You've got, um, a little…" Regina motioned to her nose as her words trailed off.

"Oh, gosh, that's embarrassing," Emma replied, blushing as she reached up and removed the whipped cream from the tip of her nose. "So, uh, do you wanna talk about what's up?" Emma asked.

"Honestly," Regina replied, "No, I don't. All of this with Robin has been too much, hasn't it?" Regina motioned off towards somewhere, Emma wasn't exactly sure where or why. She didn't think Regina wanted a reply to that rhetorical question either, so she let her continue. "I mean, he's got a wife and a son, this is ridiculous. Maybe pixie dust was right at one point and at that time, Robin and I could have had our happily ever after then." Emma's stomach sank at that. Even if she was too chicken to tell Regina how she felt, she hated to see her like this. Out of all the people here, Regina was the one who finally deserved some happiness. "I should just forget him, shouldn't I?" By this point, Regina was up and walking around the room, pacing as she thought. "I've got Henry, and he's the only one I really need, right?" Emma wondered if this was her cue to start speaking again and diced to take it.

"Maybe there's someone else out there for you. Maybe it's someone you haven't realized. Don't get me wrong, Henry loves you just as much as you love him, but what if someone else could give you that same love, too?" Emma gulped for air as she finished speaking.

"What are you suggesting, Emma?" Regina asked. "Are you saying that I could have another True Love?"  
>"Sure, why not?" Emma responded as she got up from the couch to walk over towards Regina who had made it halfway up the stairs to the loft area. "Limiting yourself to only one other person ever is pretty silly, isn't it? Especially when Tink's pixie dust led you to him so long ago. You were both different people then. Maybe you need someone different now, someone newer…" Emma's words trailed off as she stepped up to meet Regina at the top of the stairway.<p>

"And who might that be?" Regina asked. She noticed how close Emma had gotten to her, her personal space almost completely invaded. Normally, she would be upset at someone who tried to get so close, but instead she found her voice to be breathy and her heartbeat quickened. She had whispered her question to Emma, they were so close now.

"Me, Regina," Emma confessed. She took the last step into Regina's personal space and closed the distance between their lips. Regina's lips were as soft as she had imagined them to be. Regina was shocked at Emma's boldness in the situation. Regina found herself melting into Emma as they continued to kiss, but she soon tensed up and withdrew from Emma.

"No, Emma," Regina said, her voice cracking with emotion at the mention of Emma's name. "I can't do this. WE can't do this. I'm the Evil Queen, you're the Savior. I don't get a happy ending.

"No," Emma denied as she shook her head. "You're Regina and I'm Emma. That's it. That's all that matters."  
>Regina shook her head as she began to cry. "Emma, I care about you more than I should. I'm scared. Everyone I've ever cared about either ends up dead or comes to hate me. I can't stand either of those things happening between us." Regina turned and headed for the door that would lead her back outside, into the cold night air to get away from everything she was feeling in the suddenly cramped cabin.<p>

"Please, Regina!" Emma called from inside the cabin still. "Don't run away, we can talk about this!" Regina's vision blurred as the tears fell and she began her decent down the cabin steps. The snow was thick on them now. Emma stood inside the cabin still, in shock from what had just happened. She had kissed Regina, and Regina had kissed her back. Then everything got messed up. What happened? Emma didn't have any time to work through it as she heard a crash from outside the cabin. Emma's heart dropped to her stomach in dread.

"Regina!" she yelled. "Regina, are you okay?" Emma rushed out to the stairs that led back down into the clearing. She looked around wildly and a sob escaped her mouth as she saw Regina lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs. "Regina!" Emma cried as she ran down the stairs, nearly falling down, too. She reached to bottom of the stairs and knelt in the snow next to Regina's body. "Hey, Regina, this isn't okay. Wake up, please. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Regina, please!" Emma was crying now. She couldn't remember crying like this for a long time. There were real, raw tears. She checked for Regina's pulse, but couldn't find one. What could she do? Emma didn't know how to save Regina, but she knew she couldn't stand to lose her. Not like this, not now, not ever.

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><p>Regina was flying. No, not actually flying she realized, but running faster than she had ever run before. She was doing it effortlessly, too, which confused her even more. She remembered running away from Emma, but something had happened. Now, she was running through a field. The sun was bright and warm, but not in an uncomfortable way. The field was a striking golden color, but also covered in flowers. There were roses, daisies, sunflowers, and other plants she didn't recognize, but the colors were beautiful. She basked in the sunlight and felt the wind brush through her hair as she ran along. She didn't know where she was going, but her feet seemed to, and that was enough for her. Regina glanced behind her and saw a snowy forest disappearing as she raced onward.<p>

"Regina! Regina, wait!" a voiced called out to her. She slowed down, confused at hearing another voice here with her. That hadn't been anyone behind her when she had looked just a few seconds ago, how could someone have caught up with her so quickly? Regina looked to her side and Emma was running next to her.

"Emma, what are you doing here?" She asked incredulously. "How did you find me? What's going on?"  
>"Regina," Emma said, panting from running so far, so fast. "You need to come back with me. I don't think I'm even supposed to be here, I know I can't go much farther. Please come back." Emma asked, pleadingly. Regina could see Emma's eyes were red and watery.<p>

"Have you been crying, Emma?" Regina asked. "Did something happen? Is Henry okay?"

"Something happened, yes," Emma said, "but not to Henry. Something happened to me and you. That's why you have to come back with me, so we can fix it before it's too late." Regina had a strong urge to reach out and hug the woman next to her. She could tell that Emma was shaken up and hurting.

"Emma, maybe we can just stay here, together," Regina said. Emma looked around in a daze.  
>"<em>Here?" <em>Emma thought to herself, "_Why? This dark, barren place is nowhere to stay._"

"No, Regina, we have to go back. Please, come with me?" Emma was pleading nodded and the two women slowed down to a light jog. After a quick turnaround, they were off again. They were running at a much higher than normal pace back towards the forest, though Regina noticed that Emma had a slightly harder time keeping up with her. By the time they reached the clearing where the cabin was, Emma was nearly out of breath.

Regina stopped in her tracks, skidding a little on the snowy ground. "What—what happened to us?" Regina whispered, her eyes wide with curiosity and fear.

"Um, well, you kinda died, I think. Or you were about to. When you left the cabin in such a hurry, you must have slipped on the snow and fallen down the stairs. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but I don't think I could have brought you back if you had reached wherever you were running to before I caught up to you," Emma said nervously. "I'm not sure how we get back into our bodies, either," Emma confessed.

"That's no problem, dear," Regina said as she made her way over to the two lifeless bodies at the bottom of the cabin stairs. "Just lay down in your body, as if you were going to sleep, and I think that should do the trick." Emma moved to follow Regina's advice. Before she lay down, Regina reached out and took Emma's hand in her own. "Thank you for coming to get me, Emma," she said.

"I couldn't lose you, Regina," Emma replied. "Besides, I will always find you," she said with a wink. Regina rolled her eyes at the blond, but couldn't suppress a little chuckle.

"Whatever you say, dear, now let's get back to our bodies, shall we?" Emma nodded and the two women laid down into the bodies. It was a rather unpleasant feeling, Emma decided. She couldn't describe it accurately, but it felt like she was falling. It was not unlike the feeling she would sometimes get right before she fell asleep, but then felt like she was falling through nothingness and jerked awake. This time, she was falling again, but for less time, and she felt like she had landed on a mattress. Suddenly, she shot straight up. Emma was back in her body and as she looked to her left she saw Regina sitting up next to her.

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><p>"Emma," Regina said breathlessly. "How did you get to me?"<p>

"I'm not really sure," Emma replied. "I was holding your hand and I was trying to project myself to wherever you were. I know that sounds crazy, but I didn't know where you were, so I just tried to imagine you. I guess it worked, huh? But, why did you want to stay in that barren wasteland? Don't get me wrong, Storybrooke can be rough sometimes, but still."

"What do you mean? That meadow was beautiful," Regina said, confused by what Emma was talking about. Suddenly, she realized what that meant. "You're right, I was crossing over and that was my way to whatever was at the end of my journey. It looked like a beautiful field to me, because it was my trip. You weren't meant to be there so you couldn't see the same thing that I saw."

"Oh," Emma replied, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I'm, uh, sorry about what happened before all of this," she said. "I shouldn't have sprung all of that on you. Not when you were already so upset. I'm sorry, Regina." Regina reached out and took Emma's hand in her own again for the second time in such a short amount of time.

"Emma, I understand," she said. "You're right, I wasn't ready for all of that, but I want to be. I was afraid that you didn't feel the same way about me as I did about you, but you destroyed those fears tonight. I apologize for reacting so negatively and putting us through all of this. Do you think we could start over?"

"I think that would be a great idea, Regina," Emma said. Her smile had crept up while Regina spoke, finally assured that Regina had feelings for her, too.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me, Emma?" Regina asked coyly. Emma smiled brightly at her.

"Yes, in fact, I do," she said much more bravely than the first time. "Regina, I think I've fallen in love with you, and if you'll let me, I'd like to show you just how much you mean to me. May I kiss you?" Regina was thoughtful for a minute before she laughed and smiled. She had come into the forest, looking for someone she had forced herself to love, only to find the one she had been wanting all along. Her heart leapt in her chest and she finally felt happy, truly and purely happy.

"Of course you may, Emma," Regina said. Emma stepped closer to Regina and kissed her as the snow continued to fall silently around the two women, blissfully in their own perfect world.

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><p><strong>AN: So, there it is! I hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought of it! Thanks :)**


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